


It's A Pleasure Meeting You

by SpringZero123



Series: Spring Writes Stuff [10]
Category: The Boxtrolls (2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:35:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25589173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpringZero123/pseuds/SpringZero123
Summary: A rewrite of the ending of The Boxtrolls, though I sprinkled in some of my insights to spice things up. Enjoy!
Relationships: Eggs (The Boxtrolls)/Winifred Portley-Rind
Series: Spring Writes Stuff [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1784281
Comments: 1
Kudos: 46





	It's A Pleasure Meeting You

**Author's Note:**

> A rewrite of the ending of The Boxtrolls, though I sprinkled in some of my insights to spice things up. Enjoy!

"Eggs wait," Winnie called out, running towards him with a concerned expression on her face as she fears that she may not reach him in time.

As soon as Eggs opened the lid of the sink hole though, he stopped, but he didn't turn his head to look at her. 

Instead, he sighed angrily, avoiding her gaze on him. He should've known better than to beg for her help in the first place. He should have known.

"You said fathers were supposed to help," Eggs spat, knitting his eyebrows at her as she approached him warily. "That they took care of kids," he added, as she kneeled beside him.

Winnie looked at the ground beside her, as her worried expression turned into a sad one. She knows that he's mad at the whole situation, and that most especially he's mad at her.

Mad at her for letting him down, despite trying her best to help him out, as she said she would.

"Well, they're supposed to.." Winnie's voice trailed off, as her eyes landed on him, fearing that he'll just run away and hide like he did for ten years.

In reality, she doesn't want him to give up. She wants him to fight, and she wants to let him know that she'll always be there for him, even though she feels like she already broke her one promise; and that is to help him.

Winnie sees something in him that she wants to show him, because he doesn't see that specific something himself. And that something, before all of this happened, is his strength.

"People are just mean and selfish. They're monsters," Eggs ranted angrily, glaring at the huge mansion in front of him, before carefully shooting himself into the sink hole.

In his mind, at this point, he doesn't even know what to believe in anymore. He doesn't know who to listen to, now that everything he once believed in was shattered right in front of his eyes.

"Not all of us," her soft and gentle voice broke through his train of thought, but he still refused to meet with her eyes. 

The only pair of eyes that had ever gave him the courage to fight. The only pair of eyes that had ever believed in him. The only pair of eyes that had made him believe in himself.

"You aren't." If he wants to leave and hide once again, at least Winnie had let him know that she cares about his well-being, and she sees him for who he truly is, and not some freak who lives underground unlike what most people think.

Because if everyone knew him the same way she knows him, maybe everyone would stop listening to all the lies that Snatcher told them.

"Well, I don't want to be a boy anymore." Eggs had already made his decision to turn his back at her, ignoring the voices in his head, encouraging him to reconsider her delicate words.

Winnie frowned at his declaration, though she resisted the urge to pull him towards her and give him the comfort that he needed.

She knows she can't do that. Not without reimagining what happened between them in the one dance they shared. Not after the incident that happened at the party.

Not after knowing that she had let him down, that she had broken her promise to help him.

Eggs sighed, lending his hand out towards her. "It's a pleasure meeting you," he said silently, as she frowned at his sudden gesture.

Because at the end of the day, the adults around them thinks that they're just kids, that they don't know any better. 

He completely hates himself. Hates himself for believing that he can make a change. Hates himself for believing in such an impossible thing.

"Eggs..." Winnie trailed off, contemplating on wether or not to hold his hand. Because she knows that this may be the last time that they'll see each other.

But when she held his hand on hers, he turned his head to face her, looking at her with this defeated expression on his face that her heart aches by just looking at him.

And when he gave her that look, she knows that he's not mad at her. That she has done nothing wrong to him.

That look only wanted her to know that he's thankful for what she did for him, and that he's sorry for leaving her behind after everything that had happened. 

"And Winnie..." Eggs started, both getting lost just by staring into each other's eyes, taking their time to just look at each other.

Because this might be the last time that they're going to see each other.

"I really do mean it," he finally said, as the both of their hands let go of each other.

With Eggs worrying about how he's going to convince the Boxtrolls to leave the cavern, and with Winnie watching him helplessly go back to where he once started.

She never expected to cry herself to sleep that night.

• • •

Winnie woke up to the smell of smoke, and to the sound of people gasping in shock. It's too early in the morning for all this ruckus, she thought quietly to herself, as she made her way to the balcony of her room.

When she finally opened the doors to see the sudden commotion, she can't believe what she's seeing right now.

Flattened boxes are sprawled on the street, a crowd of people has already formed in front of their house, and what's worse of all is that there's a big machine that is manuevered by the one and only, Archibald Snatcher.

"I said I would not rest until I caught the very last boxtroll," Snatcher announced before pulling down a lever, as the crowd gave a round of applause.

"And, I am a man of my word," he finished, before the crane from behind the machine has moved, revealing the person she tried to help escape from Snatcher's wrath.

"With this boxtroll, I shall end their reign of terror!" He exclaimed, making Winnie gasp in fear.

"Eggs!" She breathed out worriedly, looking down at the sight below her, horrified. 

Everything is going so fast right now, and her breathing is becoming unsteady as the panic enters her whole system as she can no longer think about anything but him.

"I say that deserves a white hat, don't you?" Snatcher bragged, opening his arms as if to invite the crowd below to agree with him.

"A white hat for Mr. Snatcher!" Someone cheered with Snatcher, as the people agreed by nodding their heads and clapping along with the declaration.

Winnie needs everything to slow down now. 

She's seeing a rally in front of their house, everyone is joining the "White Hat for Mr. Snatcher!" bandwagon, and worst of all, Eggs is going to be publicly executed in ways that she can't even imagine.

Her breathing has became unsteady, as she witnessed people chanting "White Hat" from below. She can't even think straight with what's happening, her head is spinning like crazy from all the smoke from outside.

When one of the henchmen pressed some button from somewhere, Eggs was immediately moved by the crane attached to the big machine. 

The roaring flames that came from the machine didn't help her imagine in what gruesome fate he may or may not endure, so she quickly regained her composure by taking a deep breath in, and forced herself to move and run downstairs.

This is the least that she can do before everything is too late. She promised to herself that she'll care for his well-being, then so be it.

When Winnie arrived downstairs, she saw her insolent father giving Snatcher his white hat that went along with the downward pull of the machine that is trying to place Eggs towards the roaring flames.

"Father! Father!" Winnie tried to call out. "Not now, Winifred," her father responded. How typical. How helpful.

Winnie scoffed loudly, and ran towards the two henchmen that has the control over the big machine that is trying to roast Eggs for good.

"Stop! Stop!" She pleaded heavily to the two grown men, but she was only greeted with frowns on both their faces. 

"We can't miss, apologies" the man with the remote told her. "We're just doing our jobs," the man beside him added, as Winnie groaned tiredly.

"Jobs!? Are you pest exterminators? Or evil henchmen??" Winnie straight up questioned them quickly, making them both gasp.

"I..... Knew that's how people saw us!" 

"You don't have to do this!" Winnie pleaded once again, quickly glancing to make sure Eggs is still safe. 

Well, he's barely alive at this point. What worries her more is the fact that he's not even trying to move away from the fire. Has he truly given up?

The two men in front of her rambled something about "redemption" and "being a flawed hero", but the more time they waste, the more Eggs will be closer to the fire.

"Go, whatever you like! Just let him go!" She pleaded once more, as she caught a glimpse of Eggs' foot almost being caught by the fire. 

"Yeah?"

"Yup!"

"Yeah!"

And then the button was pressed by one of the henchmen, as the crane holding Eggs moved him away from the fire, making Winnie breathe out in relief.

"Redeemed!" One of them cheered lightly, making her laugh out loud with a wide smile. "Thank you, miss," the other one said, giving her the remote, but the third one stole it out of nowhere.

Her mind took over her body as she quickly charged towards the small man. "Stop it!" She yelled, trying to reach back for the remote.

But the small man threatened to bite her hand, as she quickly backed away from him with a loud yelp.

One of the henchmen held onto her in means of protecting her from the small man, but she needs to get that remote. 

"Let me go!" She begged frantically, desperately trying to reach for that damned remote because Eggs' life depends on it right now.

The small man laughed evilly as he pressed on that button hard, but suddenly a loud engine roared not far from where they stood, making everyone silent.

When they all realized what had just arrived, Winnie gasped. "Fish!" She exclaimed, as the naked boxtrolls drove freely thru the streets.

"Boxtrolls!"

"And they're naked!"

The crowd panicked once they saw the creature once again, as the boxtrolls caused chaos to the whole town.

The boxtrolls proceeded to charge towards the small man that has the control over the remote, and ended up throwing him into the barrell with lots of leeches in them.

Fish took the remote, then quickly figured out which button to press to release Eggs from the hold of the machine.

The crane that held him threw him up in the air, and luckily he landed safely to the ground, as Winnie and the boxtrolls immediately went towards him.

The boxtrolls got rid of the chains tying him up together along with his absurdly huge mask to hide his human features.

Winnie was already grinning as she ran towards him, but the boxtrolls suddenly stopped cheering and immediately went silent, making her slowly stop in her tracks.

When she got to them, she gasped as soon as she saw what they saw.

It was Eggs.

He's still lying on the floor.

He's not trying to get up on his feet.

He's not moving. 

He's not breathing.

He's not doing anything at all.

Winnie had to cover her hand in pure shock, as she approached him warily, and to her surprise, the boxtrolls cleared a path for her that lead to him.

"Eggs?" She whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder and slightly shook it, to no response. Oh no.

No. It can't be. "Eggs!?" She asked one more time, frantically shaking her head as she shook him viciously, but all of her efforts lead to no avail.

She sobbed lightly, as she carefully removed his box, only to see the most gruesome sight she had ever seen in her life.

No wonder Snatcher decided to keep his box on. He already lost so much blood from underneath his box, that seeing him in such a state made her heart ache.

He's gone. Really gone.

And she was already too late.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Eggs." Winnie whispered silently, smiling bitterly as she held on to one of his hand. She had to bite her lip, helplessly fighting through all her tears. 

"And I really do mean it too."


End file.
